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2008 MLB Season

Sad news to report today, Yankees great Bobby Murcer died after a long fight with brain cancer at 62.
Yankees.com
Bobby Murcer, a personable, popular five-time All-Star who went on to a successful broadcasting career with the New York Yankees, died Saturday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 62.
After experiencing a general lack of energy, Murcer was diagnosed with a tumor on Christmas Eve 2006, undergoing surgery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Pathology reports later revealed the tumor to be malignant.

Yankees chairman George M. Steinbrenner issued the following statement upon learning of Murcer's death:

"Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked and a true friend of mine. I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Kay, their children and grandchildren. I will really miss the guy."

After being diagnosed, Murcer commented in an upbeat spirit, thanking fans for their prayers and warm wishes -- many of which were delivered in the form of letters and e-mails directly to his hospital bed.

"My heart remains true to Yankees fans," Murcer said on Jan. 24. "I've always believed you're the very best in baseball. It's your steadfast spirit that keeps me feeling so optimistic."

Born May 20, 1946, in Oklahoma City, Okla., Murcer played in the Major Leagues for 17 seasons, including making four All-Star appearances with the Yankees.

A lifetime .277 batter, Murcer hit 252 home runs and drove in 1,043 runs in 1,908 Major League games with the Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.

Baseball Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig issued the following statement:

"All of Major League Baseball is saddened today by the passing of Bobby Murcer, particularly on the eve of this historic All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, a place he called home for so many years. Bobby was a gentleman, a great ambassador for baseball, and a true leader both on and off the field. He was a man of great heart and compassion and made many wonderful contributions to the Baseball Assistance Team and to the game. All of us in baseball will miss him. We pass on our sympathies and condolences to his family and to his many friends."

Murcer was the only Yankee to play with both Mickey Mantle and Don Mattingly, and was arguably the franchise's most popular player of the era immediately following Mantle's retirement after the 1968 season.

Murcer was hailed as another Mantle when he emerged from the Yankees' system in the mid-1960s. Both players were signed out of Oklahoma as shortstops by the same scout, Tom Greenwade, prompting comparisons.

As history shows, Murcer could not match comparisons to the Hall of Famer's lofty credentials, but he assembled an admirable Major League career.

One of his best seasons came in 1971, when Murcer led the American League with a .427 on-base percentage and ranked second in the circuit with a career-high .331 batting average.

After struggling with adjustments to Shea Stadium, where the Yankees played in 1974 and 1975 while Yankee Stadium was being renovated, Murcer was traded to the Giants in 1975 for outfielder Bobby Bonds.

He would be dealt to the Cubs in 1977, only to return and finish his career with the Yankees from 1979 through 1983.

Perhaps Murcer's most memorable moment came on Aug. 6, 1979, in the wake of Yankees captain Thurman Munson's untimely death in a plane crash.

Munson and Murcer had been close friends. As the Yankees returned to New York from Munson's funeral service in Ohio, manager Billy Martin suggested that Murcer -- who had delivered a moving eulogy for the catcher -- sit out that evening's game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Murcer disagreed, telling Martin that something was telling him to play, and that he did not feel tired. Dedicating his performance to Munson, Murcer drove in all of New York's runs in a 5-4 victory, slugging a three-run homer and a game-winning two-run single.

Murcer was also just the fourth Yankee to hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats, joining Lou Gehrig, Johnny Blanchard and Mantle.

For most of the last 24 years, Murcer had worked as a Yankees broadcaster, winning three Emmy awards for live sports coverage.

Murcer worked as a radio color analyst from 1983-85 before moving to television as a commentator in 1987, and also served as the Yankees' assistant general manager in 1986.

He helped the baseball family immensely through his efforts as chairman of the Baseball Assistance Team, which raises funds for former players who have fallen on hard times. Murcer was also the president of the Oklahoma City 89ers Minor League baseball club in the mid-1980s.

Murcer is survived by his wife, Kay, and two children, Tori and Todd.
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Ortiz to Return July 25th

BOSTON—David Ortiz is expected back in the Boston Red Sox lineup in less than two weeks -- just in time for the opening game of a weekend series at Fenway against the New York Yankees, manager Terry Francona said Saturday.

The slugger has been on the disabled list since May 31 because of a partial tear of the sheath that surrounds the tendon in his left wrist.

"He feels good," Francona said. "He's pretty excited about things."

Ortiz will begin a six-game rehabilitation stint in the minor leagues Thursday, starting with three games in Triple-A Pawtucket, followed by three games in Double-A Portland, Francona said.

Ortiz is tentatively scheduled to return to the team on July 25.

Francona said Ortiz looked good during batting practice Friday with the pitching machine set at high speed, prompting the team to schedule his tentative return date.
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Globe
 
I just wish Kazmir hadn't taken the loss. :mad: Both my starting pitchers lost today. Cap that off with having Pat Burrell start instead of Adam Dunn yesterday (oh-fer, versus 2 HR). At least Youk, Drew, and McLouth hit taters yesterday.
 
pachyderm said:
RIP Bobby Murcer.
I used to have a his bubblegum cards one from each season...
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I wasn't old enough to get to see him play but I would argue that he was one of the best to announce a game. That is what I will miss most. Rizzuto and Murcer were a great team. I remember listening to the 2 of them on WPIX growing up.
 
zioxide said:
So Lugo got hurt last night running out a single. It's apparently an injury to his left quad, and looks like it could be a tear.

It seems that Lowrie is going to get called up from Pawtucket to take Lugo's place on the roster. :D
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Congratulations!
 
All-Star Futures Game: World 3, USA 0

NEW YORK -- Che-Hsuan Lin was still sitting at his locker long after the Futures Game ended, having a bite to eat and grinning with teammates from all over the globe.

He and many of the awe-struck minor leaguers were in no hurry to leave Yankee Stadium on Sunday as they soaked in their moment on baseball's biggest stage. But it's the Boston Red Sox, in particular, who are beginning to feel right at home during All-Star week.

Lin, a 19-year-old Red Sox prospect, hit a two-run homer and nine World team pitchers combined on a three-hitter for a 3-0 victory over the United States.

"It's one of the best memories of my life and my whole career," the Taiwanese outfielder said through a translator.

The 10th annual young-talent showcase began a much-hyped farewell to Yankee Stadium, with Tuesday night's All-Star Game highlighting the grand ballpark's final season.

First-place Boston, fierce rival to the hometown New York Yankees, will be well-represented. Seven Red Sox made the American League squad, to be managed by Boston's Terry Francona after his club won its second World Series title in four seasons last year.

Lin got the defending champs off to a rousing start Sunday, earning an MVP award won previously by Alfonso Soriano, Jose Reyes and Grady Sizemore.

The half-filled crowd wasn't impressed, chanting "Let's Go Yankees" and booing Lin -- as it would anyone in a Red Sox cap -- while he was interviewed on television near the mound after the final out.
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ESPN

woot :D
 
MacNut said:
I wasn't old enough to get to see him play but I would argue that he was one of the best to announce a game. That is what I will miss most. Rizzuto and Murcer were a great team. I remember listening to the 2 of them on WPIX growing up.
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lol. i've never heard him announce! either RIP. good enough guy and player. ;)
 
Will anyone hit one out tonight?
Josh Hamilton is hitting balls places I have never seen before.
Most home runs hit in the first round 28
 
Hamilton ran out of gas. He put on one hell of a show though. It takes a lot to get a Yankee crowd to cheer for a Ranger.
 
I thought that Morneau did a great job of giving credit to Hamilton for the show he put on, but the job of giving Morneau the trophy was horrible, calling him Jason when his name is Justin, and mispronouncing his last name was atrocious. Justin won, make it special for him too.
 
A Mac Gamer said:
I thought that Morneau did a great job of giving credit to Hamilton for the show he put on, but the job of giving Morneau the trophy was horrible, calling him Jason when his name is Justin, and mispronouncing his last name was atrocious. Justin won, make it special for him too.
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Yeah, that was terrible. I mean, I know you're a corporate suit who never watches the sport, but you think someone (his assistant or someone from ESPN) would have given him a slip of paper with "Justin Morneau" on it in phonetic spelling.

Also, can ESPN please retire Joe Morgan, please.
 
LOL Ichiro.

NEW YORK – Piece by piece, the legend started to reveal itself.

“How do you know about that?” Michael Young asked.

A whisper here. A story there. Something about the greatest pregame speech since Rockne invoked the Gipper, one laced with profanity and delivered to the American League All-Stars every year.

“It’s why we win,” David Ortiz said.

He pointed to Ichiro Suzuki, the Seattle Mariners’ wisp of an outfielder, a man who still uses a translator to do interviews with English-speaking reporters – and happens to be baseball’s amalgam of Anthony Robbins and George Carlin. Every year, after the AL manager addresses his team, Ichiro bursts from his locker, a bundle of kinetic energy, and proceeds, in English, to disparage the National League with an H-bomb of F-bombs, stunning first-timers who had no idea Ichiro speaks the queen’s language fluently and making returnees happy that they had played well enough to see the pep talk again.

The tradition began in 2001, Ichiro’s first All-Star appearance, and the AL hasn’t lost a game since. Coincidence?

Um. No.

“I know how important it is to the game,” Ichiro said. “I’m more concentrated at that moment than I am in the game.”

A wide grin spread across his face. Ichiro’s secret had been exposed, so, hey, why not have fun with it?

He crafts his public portrayal similar to the image he projects on the field: a technician, a warrior, a Ph.D. in stoicism. In reality, Ichiro’s All-Star teammates love him for his wicked sense of humor and sly deceit, shown with a vocabulary far more expansive than he leads on.

All the first baseman around the AL know Ichiro speaks English, singles accounting for 1,393 of his 1,711 hits since joining Seattle in 2001. Generally, the conversation doesn’t move much past pleasantries, which makes the speech all the more shocking.

“That’s kind of what gets you, too,” Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau said. “Hearing him say what he says. At first, I talked to him a little bit. But I didn’t know he knew some of the words he knows.”

The exact words are not available. Players are too busy laughing to remember them. Ichiro wouldn’t dare repeat them in public. So here’s the best facsimile possible.

“Bleep … bleep bleep bleep … National League … bleep … bleep … bleeeeeeeeep … National – bleep bleep bleepbleepbleep!”

“If you’ve never seen it, it’s definitely something pretty funny,” Morneau said. “It’s hard to explain, the effect it has on everyone. It’s such a tense environment. Everyone’s a little nervous for the game, and then he comes out. He doesn’t say a whole lot the whole time he’s in there, and all of a sudden, the manager gets done with his speech, and he pops off.”

And onto the field they go, enemies during the regular season, friends because together they just saw a 5-foot-9, 160-pound man from Japan, a national icon who surely could win office there, create beef where there wasn’t any.

Certainly it ranks high on his list of accomplishments. Two-time AL batting champion. Rookie of the Year. MVP. Unparalleled instigator.

“The cool thing,” Young said, “is that for two days, at least, we call a truce and become a bit of a team.”

It is somewhat bittersweet, then, to change sides and end up playing for the hated National League, as many have done over Ichiro’s eight seasons. These players know the Ichiro effect, relish it, perhaps even need it to win.

And so Miguel Tejada, the longtime Oakland and Baltimore shortstop who made the NL team this season with Houston, wonders whether the speech isn’t so much an Ichiro thing as it is a cultural blessing.

“I hope Fukudome does it this year,” Tejada said.

Kosuke Fukudome, the Cubs outfielder, will start in center field for the NL team. He is not fashion conscious, does not have a sycophantic following and does not start trends. He is, aside from sharing a left-handed swing and exemplary bat control, the anti-Ichiro.

“I have no plans for that,” Fukudome said.

Which leaves the NL hoping for some kind of a miracle. Ichiro was asked how much he believes the speech has contributed to the AL dominance that has stretched more than a decade now.

“I’ve got to say over 90 percent,” he said.

Well, maybe last year. Ichiro went 3 for 3, hit the All-Star Game’s first inside-the-park home run and won MVP honors in the AL’s 5-4 victory. And, remember, he concentrates more on the speech.

At the All-Star interview session Monday, Ichiro readied himself for Tuesday’s performance with his vocal cords – albeit with some trepidation.

“If I don’t say it this year, I want to see if we win or not,” Ichiro said. “Personally, I want to see what happens. But I think Ortiz is going to make something happen.”

Oh, Big Papi knows better than to let an All-Star Game go by without Ichiro’s speech. The winner gets home-field advantage in the World Series, and his Red Sox may need it. And the All-Star Game just wouldn’t feel right without a waif Japanese warrior telling the National League to ... Bleep!
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Yahoo Sports
 
No better way to tribute the place than that. The best players of all time on one field.
 
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